


What Happened After (An Endgame Story)

by KingPepperony



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Pepper Potts Needs a Hug, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark Friendship, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Teen Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingPepperony/pseuds/KingPepperony
Summary: Many years after Tony Stark's untimely death, Morgan sneaks into his workshop and finds something that changes her life forever.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

As she grew, Morgan Stark was told over and over again how much she looked like her dad. With her thick, dark, curling hair and big brown eyes framed by the most luscious lashes to grace a human being, there was no way she could disagree. Not that she didn't get any physical traits from her mother as well. She was incredibly tall for her age and had her signature smile down perfectly.

While Morgan absolutely adored her mother, always trying to copy her mannerisms while teetering around on her signature high heels, it didn't take long to figure out that Morgan was a genius just like her father. It was the small things she did that Pepper noticed even before Tony died but once he was gone, those things seemed to multiple faster than her mother could believe or handle with her busy schedule trying to run Stark Industries.

Morgan didn't try to get into trouble. She honestly didn't but she just couldn't help herself. Even with Happy around to try and distract her, she was easily bored. It was exciting to dismantle things and put them back together to try and make them better. It was also absolutely hilarious to her when she realized she knew more than her tutors and they got flustered and quit after a few days. Her mom didn't find it quite as funny as she did. Then there was that time she found out how to code her mother's Rescue suit to herself and take it for a spin until her mother demanded that, "she get down here this instant before she is grounded for life!" Not that she could blame her for freaking out a little. She was only ten at the time but she wanted to fly. She had seen the videos. She wanted to fly like her dad.

She only wished she had gotten to see him fly in real life in his red and gold Iron Man armor but he was gone now. Even though years had passed, it felt like just yesterday he had caught her playing with her mother's Rescue helmet in her tent.

Her favorite video was that of her dad trying to fly for the first time and failing miserably. Seeing him catapulting through the air only to crash into the ceiling never ceased to put a smile on her face. She couldn't count the number of times she watched it over the years. Couldn't count the number of times she watched each and every one of the videos he made. She knew each and every one of them by heart. Sometimes at night when she couldn't fall asleep, she would ask Friday to play back recordings of when he used to sing her to sleep at night. Most nights his voice would sooth her into slumber but some nights, every once in awhile it kept her awake, longing for him to come back to her. Come back to her mother.

Her mother was the strongest person she knew. Pepper Potts-Stark put on a brave face each and every day. Even after her husband's funeral, she went to work as she always did, kept everything running like clockwork. Morgan was convinced her mother was the most efficient person on the planet. And yet she still made time for her. She smiled and talked with her. Played with her. Told her how proud of her she was. How much she loved her. How much her dad loved her. But at night after she tucked her in and thought she was sleeping, she would cry. Sometimes she would sob. A few times, Morgan had heard her crying out Tony's name. The third night it happened, she figured out exactly what she was going to do. She marched into her room, grabbed the giant Iron Man plush from her bed and crawled in next to her mother, snuggling in against her until the sobbing stopped and her breathing evened out. That was the last time she cried at night. That didn't mean she didn't miss her husband any less. Morgan knew she had to miss him. She knew her parents had been together for years before she even came along and that they had been inseparable so when she would tell everyone she was fine, Morgan knew it wasn't the entire truth.

As the years went by, people began constantly asking her mother when she was going to move on and remarry, that Tony wouldn't want her to be alone the rest of her life. Even Happy had eventually tried to set her up but it didn't go well. Not at all. The date ended with her hiding in the bathroom having a panic attack and Happy had to come to her rescue. It was front page news for days. It was years before she tried dating again. Morgan didn't blame her mother for trying to move on. She knew her mother had to be lonely so when she started at MIT when she was fourteen, she was happy to hear that her mother was back in the dating game again. Although none of the dates every real panned out, she continued to go out and try. It made leaving her much easier.

For the next two years, nothing really changed. Life went on as normal. But then the day after Morgan's sixteenth birthday, every changed. The morning of this particular day started out like any normal Saturday. Morgan was home on spring break from MIT. Her mother had doted on her all day long because a girl only became sixteen once. They went out to lunch, got their nails done and went to a movie. All in all it was an amazingly fun day. Morgan had even talked her into playing a game of laser tag although she didn't understand how her mother had ended up kicking her ass.

They didn't make it home until later that evening and it was then her mother cursed under her breath and admitted she had forgotten about a date she had made a week prior. Now Morgan wasn't one to hold her mother back. That woman didn't get out nearly enough as it was, and she worked like a horse. Morgan couldn't ask her to cancel her date and quite frankly she didn't want to because who knows the next time she would be able to go out again. She had to get her mother out of the house for her own good so she offered to do her makeup and her hair. She even picked out an outfit for her to wear. It wasn't until she was almost out the door that she began to question if she should go.

"Mom, I'm fine. Seriously. Go out and enjoy yourself for once." Morgan didn't wait for a reply as she gently nudged her mother toward the front door. She had two reasons for this. One was that she seriously wanted her mother to have a good time, and the second reason was less innocent. She wanted to go snoop around in her dad's workshop. Her mother always kept it under lock and key. She had since the day her father died, and every time she managed to get inside to take a look around, her mother or Happy or even Uncle Rhodey would find her and drag her out, kicking and screaming. For that not to happen, she needed her mother to get out of the house and for a long time. "You work too hard, mom. You deserve it. Go on. Get out of here," she kept her voice playful as she pushed her mother along.

"Are you sure? I don't get to see you much anymore. It was your birthday yesterday. I can cancel. It can wait until you go back to school."

"No, it can't wait!" Morgan yelped with a little too much force and more gestures than was clearly necessary to drive her point home. That earned her a suspicious stare. Uh oh. She needed to dial it down a bit or she was going to blow it. Taking a breath to calm herself, she started over. "Mom, we went out for lunch. You let me order two desserts. We had a fun day. It's fine. I have something I can work on."

When her mother raised an eyebrow at her, Morgan knew exactly what she was thinking. She was worried. It was almost a constant natural state for her to be in after dealing with Tony for so long. "It's completely safe. I swear I won't blow anything up while you're gone," she promised before giving her the best 100% Stark smile she could muster.

Pepper sighed loudly, rubbing her temples as if trying to ward off a headache in the making. "Oh God. Like I haven't heard that a million times before. I know what it means when a Stark says that. Now I'm worried."

Morgan chuckled. She watched the videos. She knew exactly to what her mother was referring, the hot mess that had been Tony Stark. Slipping an arm around her middle, Morgan began to once again guide her mother toward the door. "But unlike dad, I actually mean it." Her statement must have sounded sincere enough because it earned her a genuine smile. "Is it serious? With this guy I mean?" The question was out of her mouth and floating in the air before she even knew she had posed it.

Pepper had been reaching for the door knob but stopped and turned back. "It's getting there. This is our third date."

Morgan nodded, happy with the new information. "Good. I don't like it that you are alone."

Pepper frowned. "But I'm not alone. I have Happy and Rhodey and..."

Morgan shook her head. "That doesn't count and you know it. Come on, mom. Dad would want you to be happy. You've been alone long enough. Go live your life." Morgan pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek. "Now go have some fun."

Pepper returned Morgan's kiss before opening the door. "Try not to stay up too late. I might not be back for awhile so make sure you lock up. Happy won't be stopping by tonight. I'm trusting you to run the ship while I'm gone."

"Love you, Mom. I will"

As soon as the door closed, Morgan pumped a fist into the air in glee. Finally. Time to see all of the forbidden goodies. The door to the workshop wasn't too hard to bypass. A few years ago, she had figured out that an alarm is tripped each time the door is opened. It was how she managed to be interrupted every time she tried to get in and take a look around. She had stopped trying to get in for awhile but now there was nothing stopping her. It didn't take long for her to bypass the alarm when the door opened, she was buzzing with excited energy. She was so glad she had skipped drinking her usual Red Bull. "Friday, lights please." Morgan rubbed her hands together, smile spreading across her face as her father's lab was illuminated by the overhead lights. Yes. Hell yes.

"I don't believe you are supposed to be in here, Miss Stark," the AI's familiar Irish brogue usually calmed her but not today. Today she was only annoyed.

Morgan couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes at the disembodied voice. "Yeah, well. Friday, I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions."

She knew it. Her father's workshop was amazing. A million times better than anything she had at her disposal at MIT. Why hadn't she tried harder to get in here sooner? So many goodies. So little time before her mom got back. Maybe if she stayed up all night, she could get through quite a bit. Her eyes slowly roamed the room, taking in all of her surroundings. Displayed on one of the walls was her mother's Rescue armor and next to it was her dad's Iron Man suit. It was badly damaged from the battle with Thanos and needed repair but...oh my God. A light bulb went on in her head. Maybe she could be the one to repair it. There had to be instructions somewhere around here or Friday would know how to fix it or heck, maybe she could figure it out all by herself. She was a genius after all.

Then her attention was diverted away from the armored suits by a blinking red light in the middle of a console near by. She cocked her head as she slowly approached it. Blink. Blink blink. Blink. Blink blink. As far as she knew, nobody ever came in here. Not anymore. Not for years so what exactly was going on with this light. "Huh. I wonder what that does. Friday, what does that do?"

"I am unauthorized to discuss its specifics without the password, Miss Stark."

Morgan furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"I am unauthorized to discuss its specifics without the password, Miss Stark."

Morgan's index finger hovered above the button, trying to see if that would make Friday spill. "Am I going to blow something up if I press this button?"

"I am unauthorized to discuss..."

Morgan threw her hands up in the air in surrender. "Okay, okay, okay. I get it. You can't tell me."

Well, if Friday wouldn't tell her, it wouldn't hurt to push it and find out...right? It's not like her dad had nuclear missiles at his disposal that would launch simply by the press of a button, did he? No, he didn't. Well, she was pretty sure he didn't. So what in the world did that button do? It was in on a computer counsel. It couldn't be that dangerous to push it. Maybe it just turned the computer on. Honestly, what's the worst thing that could happen?

In the end her curiosity won out. She crossed her fingers with her left hand, hoped for the best and pressed the button with her right index finger. At first nothing happened and she was about to forget all about the stupid button when the entire room lit up so brightly she was forced to squeeze her eyes shut. And the sound that filled the air, the high-pitched shrieking sound forced her to press her hands to her ears in an effort to save her hearing as she went down to her knees. Oh shit. Shit shit. What did she do? What did she do? She was so dead. Why hadn't she listened to her mother and stayed the hell out of the workshop? This was all her fault.

Just before she was sure the light was going to sear through her eyelids and the sound would burst her eardrums, the power surged, knocking the lights out and casting her in complete darkness. Ears ringing and white spots dancing in front of her eyes, she stood back up, trying to feel her way around without knocking into anything important. Oh shit. What had she broken? Her mother was going to kill her. She was a dead woman. Just as she stumbled into her dad's favorite couch, the one that her mother tried to get rid of a million times over, the lights came back on. On the giant screen in front of her flashed the words Upload Complete. She gnawed on her bottom lip. Uh oh. What did she do? What did that mean? Maybe she could fain innocence. Maybe Friday would cover for her. Maybe...

"Hey, Morgie. Wow, when did you get so big?"

Morgan froze as the familiar voice washed over her, eyes widening as her brain worked to process what she was hearing. No. It just wasn't possible. It couldn't be, the logical part of her brain was screaming her. But she knew that voice. She knew it. She listened to it every night before she went to bed. It was the voice that belonged to the person she missed most in the entire world. It was the voice that belonged to her dad, the man who sacrificed himself to save everyone else. Tony Stark.

"It took you awhile to find me, didn't it? Don't worry. That's my fault. How long was I out? I'm guessing awhile. Either I got shorter or you got taller. Well, I guess since I technically don't have a physical body, I am shorter."

And when that familiar infectious laughter reached her ears, the tears blurring her eyes spilled over, rolling down her cheeks. Materializing out of nowhere directly in front of her came a realistic projection of her father. Her dead father. Everything about him was exactly the way she remembered. His big brown eyes. His signature facial hair. His smile, complete with laugh lines. He grinned at her, showing all white teeth. "Hey peanut, you look a little pale. Why don't you sit down?"

Morgan didn't realize how shaky her knees were until he pointed it out. Slowly, she lowered herself onto the couch, never once removing her eyes from her father, afraid if she blinked, he would disappear. "Dad?" Her question was barely decipherable over the larger than life sobs that racked her slender frame. How was this possible? Was he really here? He couldn't actually be here...

His dark eyes softened as he walked toward her. He reached out a hand as if he was going to touch her shoulder but pulled back at the last moment, likely realizing he couldn't touch her anyway and it would be pointless. "Come on, Morg. Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry."

"But-but you died. You-you were dead. I went to your funeral."

He flinched, clenching his teeth. "That sounds terrible. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. I did die yes. My body died but before my brain completely shutdown, Friday managed to upload my consciousness into cyberspace and store it. I assume you were the one who uploaded it?"

Morgan shook her head in disbelief, brushing away the stray curls that fell into her eyes. "That's impossible. This is impossible." But even as she said the words she knew he was telling the truth. Her heart soared. This was him. The real him. After all of this time, her dad had come home. He was here with her.

When he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back. "Come on, Morgie. I'm Tony Stark. I figured out time travel. Do you really think anything is impossible for me?"

Okay. That was true. Her dad was pretty amazing. And that was an understatement. "No. I guess not." Morgan focused on calming herself down so he could understand her. "I can't believe you are here. Really here. I-I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, honey. How old are you now?"

Morgan wiped her nose on her shirt. "Sixteen." At the moment she didn't feel sixteen.

His eyes sparkled. "Wow. Almost all grownup. You have a license now huh? Bet you drive just like your old man. Did you inherit the infamous Stark lead foot?"

That made Morgan snort a laugh as she recalled the first time she was behind the wheel, the terrified look in her mother's eyes as she begged her to slow down. "Yeah, I've made mom squeal a few times."

He laughed, nose crinkling up in the familiar way it always did. "Now that I can believe. Speaking of your mother, where is she?"

The grin on her face quickly faded as the gravity of the situation slammed into her full force. Oh shit. Date. She was on a date. Her third date to be precise and she had told Morgan not to wait up. She knew what that meant. Oh God. If anything happened between her and her date when her husband was alive (well, sort of alive) she would never forgive herself. She had to stop it. "Hold on a second. I gotta make a call." She reached into the back pocket of her faded blue jeans and whipped out her phone. Heart beating loudly in her ears she called her once. Twice. It went directly to voicemail both times. That meant she had her phone off. It could be too late. All of her tears dried up. Morgan was on her feet in a beat, her phone dropping from her hand. "Shit!"

Her father's eyebrows creased as he stared at her. "Who were you calling just then?"

Instead of answering, Morgan hurried by him. She didn't have time. There was no time. "I gotta go." She didn't bother closing the door or shutting off the lights to the workshop. She hurried through the kitchen, only stopping when her dad reappeared directly in front of her. "Where are you going?"

It was her turn to squeal in fear as she stumbled back into the counter, jabbing her tailbone in the process. She was on the verge of blurting out the truth to him because she never lied to her father but then realized it would hurt him. Sure, after his death he wouldn't have expected her to cling to his memory and never move on but now that he was here and real, she knew he would not process the information well. And neither would her mother. "The-the store! Yeah! The store. We are out of bread."

That earned her a single eyebrow lift. "Morgan, there is bread right there."

Her eyes followed to where his finger was now pointing. Sure enough, there was a loaf of bread on the counter almost smack dab in front of her face. She smacked herself in the forehead as she began to scan the room. "Did I say bread? I didn't mean bread! I meant..." Come on, Morgan. You are a genius. You can do this. Think of something. Anything else. Something out of sight where dad can't see it. She snapped her fingers. "Milk! Yep. That's what I meant. Milk. Not bread. Why would I need bread when there is a perfectly good loaf right there. But the milk spoiled so I better go because the stores are closing soon, and I've been craving a bowl of cereal all day so I'll catch up with you later." Thinking she had pulled it off, she scurried past her dad to the front door only to be stopped by her father's booming voice coming from behind.

"Morgan H. Stark."

Still clutching the door knob in her shaking hand, she found herself turning back to face him without even realizing it. From the expression on his face, he wasn't buying it. He knew. He knew she was lying to him. Even being caught in her lie, she found she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth. It would break his heart. She knew that for a fact. She knew how much he loved her mother. There was no one else in the world for him. Only her. He had told her that a hundred times over and wished that she found the same kind of love one day. "I'm just going to the store, dad."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's your mother isn't it?"

Bingo. Morgan caught her bottom lip in her teeth and bit down hard enough to draw blood but she didn't feel pain. Not when she saw the hurt expression reflected on his face. It was enough to break her down. "Dad, let me go. Please. I'll explain when I get back. I promise but I gotta go now."

He must have realized there was no real way for him to stop her because then he pulled out his biggest trick of all time. The dreaded puppy dog eyes. He had never focused them on her before. She had watched them work their magic on her mom but never on her and now looking at him the way he was looking at her, she wanted to die on the spot. She wanted to tell him everything and explain that they didn't know he was still here. They thought he was gone. He died! Otherwise she never would have tried to move on. Never because Tony Stark and Pepper Potts-Stark were soulmates. They were meant to be together forever.

It was hard but she stopped herself. She ran a hand down over her face, willing herself to stay strong. He was good. Really really good. Not as good as her but pretty damn close. "God, now I know how mom feels when I do that to her. Stop pouting, dad. I'll be right back." Not waiting for him to offer a reply, she raced out the door and down the front steps.

Car. She would have to take the car. A fast car. One of her dad's old cars. No. That wouldn't be fast enough. Her mother had already been gone for a few hours and it was getting late. They may already be at the hotel. She needed something faster. Her eyes lit up as the perfect solution presented itself. She froze at the bottom of the front steps. The suit. As quickly as she could, she raced back inside toward the workshop.


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper felt guilty leaving her daughter behind when she had just gotten back from school and with it being her birthday and all but Morgan was right. She had been alone for a very long time. It was easy enough for her to make excuses not to get out when she was alone but Morgan wouldn't stand for them. Morgan was the one pressing her to get out and enjoy life. Her daughter wasn't wrong. Staying holed up in her house longing for the one thing she couldn't have wasn't good for her mental health so she forced herself out of her comfort zone. Mostly she did it for Morgan. Not that she didn't enjoy getting to know other people. Most of the guys she went on dates with were your fun, normal, every day guy. Most of them were even easy to talk to but she always found she could never go on more than one date with them. When they tried to set up another meet-up, Pepper never called them back. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. That was until Mark came along.

There was something about him that made her pick up the phone and call him back. Most likely because he didn't push her. He didn't try to get her to go back to his room with him on the first date. He didn't even try to kiss her until the end of the second date and that was a gentle kiss on the cheek. So when he suggested they go out clubbing for their third date, Pepper thought, what the hell? It had been years since she had ever stepped foot in a club but for some strange reason, it actually sounded like a good time. Plus it would make for a good story to tell Morgan since her daughter had called her a "party pooper" many times over.

Even though Pepper was now in her fifties, she didn't look it and she certainly didn't feel it. When she failed to go through menopause like most women her age she started thinking something was wrong with her. All of the doctors she saw said nothing was wrong. It didn't stop her from freaking out until Bruce pointed out it likely had to do with the fact she had the Extremis virus injected into her. While it was no longer running through her veins, it likely permanently altered her DNA, making her appear and feel younger. Well, if that's all it did to her in the long run and she wasn't in danger of setting things on fire or exploding into a giant fireball, then Pepper was all for that. After all, having an over-abundance of energy had come in handy while raising Morgan.

So she allowed Mark to drag her to an upscale club. They had danced for a couple of hours and Pepper had actually felt great. It was fun to finally let loose. Pepper had a few drinks too many and when he offered to take her back to his hotel room, she agreed. When they got back to his room, he asked her to join him in the shower but she politely refused.

And now as she nervously paced the floor, waiting for her turn to shower, goosebumps formed on her overheated skin. All efforts to rub them away failed because as the effects of the alcohol began to wane, she remembered the last time she shared a shower with a man...Tony. He would complain about how hot she liked the water, rambling on and on about how she was going to have to drive him to the hospital for third-degree burns, only settling down when she leaned forward and kissed the words right out of his mouth. She could still feel his big calloused hands on her skin, his soft lips on her neck, hear the way he whispered her name, like it was the most precious thing to him in the world...Pepper heavily plopped down on the edge of the bed as she ran her fingers through her sweaty hair, trying to undo the tangles. Dammit. What was she doing here? Who was she even fooling? She couldn't go through with this. She liked Mark. She really did. He was a good guy. He really was but he wasn't Tony. No one was.

As she was reaching for her purse, the sound of glass shattering made her yelp and leap to her feet. Her eyes focused in the direction of the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony, hands up in defense, ready for a fight. She was glad Natasha had taught her a thing or two about self-defense all of those years back because of course she couldn't just have a normal night like a normal person. It just wasn't in her cards. Of course some kind of villain would try and ruin her night.

Her hands fell to her sides and her mouth dropped open in shock as into the room strode the last person she was expecting, her daughter Morgan decked out in her Rescue armor.

As the helmet of the suit retracted exposing her face, there was a frown on her lips as she stared at her right hand, opening and closing it several times."Oh crap. I didn't mean to do that. These replusors can be tricky. I was just trying to open the door. I swear. I don't even know how that happened."

Morgan was here. In her hotel room. She hadn't driven here. No. She had flown here. In the Rescue suit Tony had made her for an anniversary present and she had blown her way inside. It was such a Stark move. Pepper didn't even know where to begin. All she knew was that her shock was quickly fading, morphing into something else entirely. Anger. Her hands became tight fists at her sides. She could feel her cheeks heating up as her temper flared to life. "Morgan."

"Hi?" Morgan's voice was innocent as if she honestly didn't know why her mother would be using that tone with her. And then she turned up the charm, casting her giant brown eyes on her, blinking innocently. Oh no. She was not going to try and use the puppy dog eyes on her right now. She was grounded. She was grounded for the rest of her life.

Pepper pointed a scolding finger in Morgan's face. "Don't you dare, 'hi' me, Morgan H. Stark. What in the hell are you doing here? Did you hack my suit again?"

Morgan cocked a single dark brow at her. "Mom, nobody says hack anymore."

It was such a Tony thing for her to say that Pepper was speechless for several long seconds as she tried to figure out what to do next. Of all of the possible scenarios on how she thought the night would go, this was definitely not one of them. "I don't know what you think you are doing coming here but you have absolutely no right showing up like this. I hope you have a logical explanation."

Morgan nodded. "Oh, I do! It's dad. He's alive."

Pepper sucked in a dismayed breath as she found herself back on the battlefield at the Avengers Compound where Tony took his last breath, trying desperately to hold herself together when it felt like every atom of her was being violently ripped apart. After telling him it was okay for him to rest, that they would be okay, it was then she finally broke down, allowing the tears to come as she held him. She didn't need the fading of the arc reactor on his chest to tell her he was gone. She felt it herself. A part of her died that day. She clutched his lifeless body in her arms, sobbing into his chest until she was eventually pulled away by someone. She didn't even know who it had been. All she knew was that she had lashed out at them, striking them over and over again as she screamed at them that they couldn't take Tony away from her, no one could take him away...

As the hotel room came back into focus and she saw Morgan looking at her with concern, she blinked, trying to hold back her tears but failing miserably. Why was she doing this to her? Morgan knew how much Tony meant to her. But he was gone. He was never coming back. If she didn't want her to move on with someone, why had she practically pushed her out the door earlier? Pepper's chest constricted until it hurt for her to breath and she turned away from her daughter, motioning at her to leave her alone. "Don't. Don't you dare."

"But mom, I..."

Pepper spun back to face her daughter, tears of hurt shimmering in her eyes. She didn't know what her motive was for doing this but she would deal with it later. "I need you to go home now."

But Morgan didn't leave. What she did was grab Pepper's cell phone that was sitting on the end table next to the bed and turned it on, dialing a number. "He is. I'll prove it to you."

"What in the hell is going on?" Pepper jumped out of her skin at the booming male voice. Mark had appeared in the room wearing nothing but a towel, his dark long hair dripping in rivets down his chest, and Pepper had to admit, he did have nice abs. His green eyes were wide in shock as he tried to assess the situation. "Virginia, are you okay? Who the hell this that?"

Morgan didn't seem phased at all. "I'm Morgan. Her daughter."

Mark motioned to the mess on the floor and then toward the curtains flapping in the gentle breeze. "Did you break the sliding glass door? Why couldn't you just knock like a normal person?"

When Morgan let out a high-pitched giggle, Pepper shot her a warning glare that made her stop and take a breath. "I'm a Stark. Normal is not our thing."

This night was going south fast. Pepper had to try and fix it before things got any worse and Mark decided to call the cops on her daughter. She walked over to him and put a steady hand on his shoulder, drawing his infuriated gaze. "Mark, I am so so sorry. I will pay for the door and she was just leaving." She turned to face her daughter, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. "Weren't you, Morgan?"

Morgan furrowed her brows as she lifted her chin in defiance. "No, actually I just got here." Then she directed her attention to the phone and shouted, "Pick up!" into it before shaking it violently.

Once Pepper was sure Mark wasn't going to dial the police, she focused in on trying to calm her agitated daughter. Maybe Rhodey was right. Maybe she should have taken Morgan to a therapist to talk about her feelings. She had assumed that talking to her was enough but what if it wasn't? Maybe all of this was her fault. "Morgan, I'm going to need you to listen to me for once and go home. Can you do that? Please? Just go home."

"Maguna, are you giving your mother a hard time?"

Pepper gasped at the familiar voice coming out of the phone or rather she tried to but no sound came out.

"Pep? Baby, are you there?"

"Tony?" When she finally was able to speak, her voice did not sound like her own.

"The one and only. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but I'm back, baby. I'm back and I'm never leaving you ever again."

It was Tony's voice. Her Tony. Suddenly she found she couldn't catch her breath. Black spots danced in front of her eyes as her knees began to give out. Morgan's hands shooting out to try and grab her was the last thing she remembered seeing before everything went black.

When she finally jerked awake, completely disoriented and unaware of her surroundings, she flailed around helplessly as she tried to remember. Where was she? What happened? Something wasn't right. Gentle hands on her shoulders tried to hold her down.

"Whoa. Mom, relax. Don't worry. You are safe at home. After you passed out, I flew you back here. Take a second and breathe. Just breathe."

Pepper obeyed, pulling deep breathes into her lungs and out through her nose. She focused in on her daughter's worried face before taking a good look around. Sure enough, they were back at the house and in a place she hadn't been in in years. "Why are we in your father's workshop? Didn't I tell you it was off limits?"

Morgan grinned at her sheepishly and shrugged. "You did. Many different times over. But I didn't listen. Did you really expect me to? I mean, Tony Stark is my dad after all."

Pepper shuddered out a sigh as she sat up. Morgan did have a point. Gotta love that Stark stubbornness. Then she remembered what had made her pass out in the first place. The phone call. "How did you do that back there at the hotel?" From the confused expression on Morgan's face, she didn't know what she was talking about. "That trick you did with the phone call. How did you make it sound like I was talking to your father?"

It was Morgan's turn to be shocked. "You-you actually think I tricked you? Why in the hell would I do something like that?"

Pepper flew to her feet, completely unable to stop herself from gesturing around wildly, something Tony used to do when he was worked up. "I don't know, Morgan! I don't know, okay? All I know is your father is dead. I was there when he died. I promised him we would be okay. I promised him but I'm not okay, okay? I'm not okay and you obviously aren't okay so I lied. I am a liar. I lied to your dying father. What does that make me?"

Morgan's face softened, her arm reaching out to try and touch her. "Mom."

But Pepper pulled back from her daughter as she continued to pace in front of the couch. "It makes me a terrible person. That's what. It makes me. I tried to do my best raising you on my own, Morgan. I swear I did. I know I messed up a lot along the way but I tried my hardest and my hardest wasn't good enough because it is obvious you are hurting. I'm hurting too." Pepper took a deep breath and forced herself to keep speaking, "I was actually about to leave when you showed up. I was just gathering my things to come back here."

Morgan cocked her head to the side, making her come off as a confused puppy. "Why? I thought you liked him."

"I do but..."

Morgan raised her brows, urging her on. "But?"

"I'm still in love with your father, okay?" All of the air seemed to leave her lungs at her admission. And there it was. The crux of the problem. "I know. I know he is gone and he is never coming back, but it doesn't matter. I'm not over him. I will never be over him. I will never love anyone else. He is it for me. I can't accept that he's gone."

"Well, that's good to hear because quite frankly, I can't leave the house and if you didn't love me, things were about to get really weird."

Pepper's eyes widened as she slowly turned around until she was facing the direction the voice was coming from and there, standing not more than two feet away was her dead husband, Tony Stark. She could have sworn her heart stopped beating. Or maybe it finally started beating again after all of those years. He looked exactly like she remembered. His deep brown eyes were shining with so much love they could barely contain it as he grinned at her. He was wearing his favorite Black Sabbath shirt, a pair of ripped blue jeans and his old scuffed work boots.

"Hey, Pep."

Hearing him repeat the last words he had ever said to her made her knees buckle for the second time that day. Morgan only barely managed to guide her back to the couch before she collapsed under the weight of what was happening. It was Tony. Tony was actually here right now. But how? How could this all be happening?

Morgan let out a small growl of disbelief. She rolled her eyes at her father and plopped down next to Pepper. "Really, dad? Like you couldn't have waited until she actually sat back down?"

Pepper was now clutching Morgan's arm too tightly but she couldn't bring herself to loosen her grip. "Tony." It was hard to talk around the giant lump that had formed in her throat. "Tony is that really you?"

He smiled that apologetic smile of his that she knew so well as he approached her. "Yeah, baby. It's really me."

"How?" Tears were rolling down her cheeks but she didn't even try to brush them away.

"I managed to upload my consciousness from my body before it shutdown completely and then Morgan here," he motioned toward their daughter, "downloaded it into this computer so here I am."

With a shaking hand, Pepper reached out, longing to touch him after all of this time but her hand went right through him. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from whimpering.

"Yeah, I don't actually have a physical body but hey, this is better than nothing right?" He spread his arms out in front of himself before turning slowly in a circle and even through her tears, Pepper couldn't help but ogle him a little.

Pepper sniffed. "Well, at least you can't grab my ass at random times when I'm bending over and scare the shit out of me."

Tony snickered. "Oh, come on. You love it when I grab your ass. You told me so."

Morgan cleared her throat to remind them that she was still in the room and clearly not okay with where the subject matter was going. She pried Pepper's fingers from her arm and practically threw herself toward the door, trying her hardest to escape before they said too much. "Yeah, so...I'm just gonna let you two talk for a bit and then I'll catch up with you later. Okay, dad?" Morgan didn't even wait for a reply before disappearing and shutting the door.

"She sure is something else. Isn't she?"

"She sure is," Pepper agreed, still not quite able to believe all of this was really happening. "When she showed up earlier in my suit after blasting her way into my hotel room, I was about ready to ground her but now it makes sense why she was acting the way she was."

"You mean besides her being my offspring?"

Even though Tony's words were playful, the guilt of knowing what she had been about to do with Mark before Morgan showed up made her stomach lurch violently. "Tony, I..."

When Tony appeared right next to her on the couch, she wanted to lean into him so badly, wanted him to put his arms around her and pull her close. But he couldn't. He put a finger up in front of her lips, and Pepper only barely resisted kissing it. He seemed so real. So solid. It hurt that she wasn't able to touch him. "Don't you dare apologize, Pep. You have nothing to apologize for."

Even that being the case, Pepper felt guilty. She had almost slept with someone else. The stinging behind her eyes was starting again. "Nothing happened, Tony. I swear."

"Pepper. Don't. Please. Stop punishing yourself."

Pepper sucked in a breath before biting down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. "It's all my fault. I'm the one who kept Morgan out of here. It's my fault we were separated all of those years. It's my fault Morgan grew up without a father. I was only trying to protect her but I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have tried to keep her out of here. This was your life, our life. Dammit, Anthony Stark. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I wasn't for sure it would work and I didn't want you to count on me always being there for you and it's not your fault, Pep. It's mine. I'm the one who chose not to tell you about this. Please stop blaming yourself for things that can't be changed and just be here in this moment with me. Can you do that?"

Pepper wiped her tears on her sleeve and as she gazed into her husband's hopeful eyes, she suddenly knew for a fact that everything was going to be okay. It was then her heart began to heal. Just a little bit. She nodded at him, grinning from ear to ear as she realized she would never be alone again. "That I can do. So will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

His eyes sparkled mischievously causing her stomach to flutter. "Far from it, Mrs. Stark. We have only just begun."


	3. Chapter 3

Morgan was amped up to say the least. So amped in fact that settling down anytime soon was not in the realm of possibility. She was an extremely active person as it was. On a normal day, her body and brain barely shut down to let her have a moments peace but now that her father was here, really here, she likely wouldn't be able to sleep for days. After only seeing holograms and videos of him for years, now she could actually talk to him again. No, he may not have a physical body but...Morgan froze as an idea struck her. Now wait just a second. He didn't have a physical body...yet but she had read about the Cradle and how it could be used to regenerate human tissue and maybe, just maybe, she could make her father another body and figure out somehow to download his consciousness into it. And just like that her father would be back. Really back. "Holy shit. Holy shit."

A squeal of delight left her lips as she hugged herself tightly and danced in place. Her dad was back. Really back. She couldn't keep this to herself. If she tried to hold it in much longer, she was sure her head would explode. Then again, she couldn't go spouting off at the mouth to just anyone about the Invincible Iron Man Tony Stark coming back from the dead. But she knew there was one person she had to tell, one person that she knew the secret would be safe with. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely make the call. The phone almost slipped through her fingers several times as she scrolled through her contacts and finally found the person she was searching for. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." Her demands were answered when she heard a loud yawn in her ear.

"Morgan, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Morgan grinned at the sleepiness reflected in Peter Parker's voice, but she knew he wouldn't be tired for long. Not after he found out about her dad. He was going to flip out. "Pete, get up. I need to talk to you." Once again she began pacing the floor in front of the staircase as she debated in her head how she was going to tell him that his mentor Tony Stark was back from the dead.

Peter yawned again. "I've been up the last forty-eight hours. Seriously, Mo. I will call you after I wake up from my coma. I'll come pick you up and take you to Burger King, okay? Cheeseburgers on me. I'll even get you a chocolate shake but right now I need to sleep. Night, Morgan."

Morgan's grip tightened on the phone. No. He couldn't hang up. Not now. "Peter Parker, this is serious!"

When she raised her voice, Peter's demeanor immediately changed. She could hear him rattling around his room, cursing under his breath as something that sounded breakable clattered to the floor. "Oh God. Do you need Spider-man? Of course you need Spider-man. I'm an idiot. I'll be there in a minute. Just hold on. I'm coming!"

Morgan had known Peter was Spider-man as long as she could remember. Her dad had never told her, no. Peter had been the one to do that. He had told her the day of her dad's funeral. The images of that day were forever burned into her brain.

After watching the holographic goodbye message from her daddy, Morgan had disappeared into her bedroom because there were too many people around. Too many people she didn't know and the only person she really wanted to see wasn't there. All she wanted was her daddy but her mommy said he wasn't coming back. Morgan didn't understand. Why wasn't he coming back? Mommy had to be lying. Daddy always came back. But everyone else there was crying. She didn't cry like them because she knew it was only a matter of time before her daddy came back so she had smuggled her daddy's Iron Man helmet out of the living room and was clutching it to her chest as she sat on her bed when the door to her room opened. The boy that came in was strangely familiar. She hadn't actually met him in person before but she knew exactly who he was. Her face lit up.

"Peter!"

The boy blinked at her in confusion as he slowly approached her. "You know me?"

Morgan nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. My dad told me all about you."

Peter ruffled the back of his hair nervously. "He did?"

Morgan nodded again, patting the empty space on the bed next to her, inviting him to sit down. "You are Peter Parker." She paused, turning the helmet in her hands. "He loves you, you know." Peter sat down next to her. For a couple of moments, Morgan was sure he was going to cry like all the others but instead he met her eyes and smiled. She smiled back. "He talked about you all the time. I know all about you."

"All about me? He even told you about my secret?"

Morgan cocked her head curiously. "You have a secret?"

"Well, you know how your dad is Iron Man?"

Morgan nodded eagerly. She knew all of the stories. Her daddy was the best superhero in the entire universe.

"Well, I'm a superhero too. Ever hear of Spider-man?"

Morgan's mouth dropped open, brown eyes going wide. Of course she had. Peter Parker was Spider-man? Morgan let out a happy squeal."No way. That's so cool! Does my dad know?"

Peter nodded. "He did, yes. He even made me a high tech suit. I can show it to you sometime. But it's a secret. You can't tell anyone okay?" Peter held out his pinky to her, looking at her expectantly. "You swear it?"

Morgan giggled hysterically absolutely thrilled at the new information as she locked her pinky with his and they shook on it."I swear! I won't tell anyone. That is so cool! I'm gonna ask him to make him to make me a suit when he gets back."

Peter dropped his hand, his face becoming serious. "He's not coming back, Morgan."

Scooting away from Peter, Morgan frowned, clutching the helmet protectively to her chest."But he always comes back. He will be back. You'll see."

"Morgan," Peter's voice cracked with emotion and before he looked away from her, Morgan could have sworn she saw tears shimmering in his dark eyes. "He would if he could but he can't. He died Morgan. Even though he loved you and your mom more than anything, he can't come back. He's gone."

Gone? Morgan's lip began to wobble, tears finally filling up her eyes when she thought about her dad never tucking her in at bed at night and threatening to sell all her toys, never sharing juice pops with her again, never hugging her close and kissing her nose. But she loved him. She loved him 3000. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't. "But I want my daddy." Somehow Peter's words finally got through even when her mother's couldn't and the tears began to fall. Daddy was gone forever. There was no more daddy. With her dad's Iron Man helmet held tightly to her chest Morgan sobbed, her small body shaking with the shear force of her emotion. Daddydaddydaddy...I want daddy. She didn't even know she was wailing out loud until a pair of arms were around her, hugging her close.

"I know. I know you do. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Peter rubbed her back. His hands were shaking and Morgan knew he was crying too. "He didn't deserve what happened to him. I wish I could change things. He may not be here but I am now. I'm here, Morgan. I won't leave you. I will always be there for you. I promise."

"Morgan, just hang on! I'll be there in a second! Please, just hang on! I'm coming. I promise!"

Peter's terrified voice in her ear yanked her back into the present. Morgan forced the painful images of the day of her dad's funeral out of her head to focus on what was happening right now. "I'm not in trouble. I don't need Spider-man. I just need you. Peter Parker. That's all." While they did text each other almost daily, she hadn't seen him in a couple of months and missed him terribly. Now that the adrenaline from earlier was finally starting to wane, she realized the call could have waited until morning. "It can wait until tomorrow." Not that she was going to be able to sleep a wink but she could let him rest. After all, her dad wasn't going anywhere and she didn't want Peter to get hurt. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if anything happened to him. Whether they shared blood or not, he was her big brother and always would be.

"No, Morgan. No. I'll be fine. I can come. I'll down a couple of Red Bulls, and I'll be there soon. What is going on? What's this about?"

"My dad." Silence greeted her statement. Morgan's grip on the phone tightened drastically. "Peter?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. What about your dad?"

Morgan knew how much her father meant to Peter. Her dad had started out as Peter's mentor but their relationship became much deeper than that. She knew Tony Stark was like a father to him. "I'll explain when you get here. It's the kind of thing you have to see to believe. Oh and bring some extra clothes because I'm pretty sure you'll end up staying. My mom won't let you leave once you get here especially if you look as tired as you sound."

"I'll be there soon."

Morgan waited patiently by the front door for Peter to arrive. Well, not patiently exactly because she continued to pace at an increasing rapid pace and when pacing wasn't enough, she braided her hair while pacing, quite a feat to behold. Even though she wanted to more than anything, she didn't go back to the workshop because she knew her parents needed some time alone to reconnect. While she had missed her dad, she knew for a fact her mother longed for him on a daily basis. Words could not express how happy she was that her father was not only back in her life but her mother's as well.

When she saw the headlights of a car pulling up to the house, she was out the door and down the front steps in seconds, practically throwing herself at the vehicle as it came to a stop. As the driver emerged, she didn't allow him to find his feet, grabbing him and hauling him into a bear hug. "Peter!" She buried her nose into his neck, inhaling his familiar comforting scent. They were the same height now. Morgan always teased him that she would eventually be taller than him but it looked like she stalled out. "It's so good to see you. I missed you so much," she admitted, grinning ecstatically when he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her face.

"I missed you too, Mo." When she finally pulled back from their embrace, he ruffled her hair lovingly until some of it was pulled out of the messy braid and partially covering her eyes, something he continued to do even though she wasn't really a child anymore. Secretly, she hoped he would never stop. She blew the loose strands hair out of her face before grinning at him, watching as he leaned back into the car to grab a black backpack from the passenger's seat. "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you as much as I normally do but lately, it's just been crazy, you know?" Peter was trying to make small talk but she couldn't take it.

No longer able to wait any longer to share her exciting news, Morgan snatched the pack from his hands and threw it over her shoulder before looping her arm into his and dragging him up the stairs into the house. Morgan chuckled as Peter stumbled and almost went down, taking her with him. This was a guy who could lift thousands of pounds but couldn't currently keep up with a normal human girl. He must be tired. Okay, now that they were inside, how was she supposed to do this? There really wasn't a good way to try and explain it all so she decided to just run with it. "Dad?" She called out, dropping Peter's backpack by the front door. "Hey, dad. Can you come in here a second?"

Peter closed the door behind him before slowly moving toward her as if he was trying not to startle a skittish wild animal. "Morgan, are you okay?" His hand on her shoulder made her turn back to meet his eyes. He was frowning, his brow creased in concern. He was worried about her. Well, of course he was. He probably thought she had finally lost her mind, and he would have to have her committed to a mental institution.

"Just a second, Pete. Everything will be explained in a second. Dad, can you like wrap up what you are doing with mom and get in here? I need you. Like right now." She would have continued speaking but Peter's hand grasped her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so serious.

"Morgan, your dad is gone. You know that. I know it's hard to accept it but he's dead. He's not coming back. I wish it was possible but it just isn't."

"You sure about that?" Tony Stark's familiar voice boomed through the room seconds before his form materialized in front of them both.

"Holy shit!" Peter yelped, practically leaping into Morgan's open arms. While she may not have been able to actually hold him up, she did help steady him by putting a hand on his shoulder, ready to try and catch him if he passed out. "But you're-you're..."

Her dad smirked at him, clearly delighted that Peter was here, and Morgan's heart soared. She had missed that smile so much. "Supposed to be dead. Yeah. Well, my body is gone but my mind remains. How the heck are ya, kid? Not so much a kid anymore now are you?" He took a second to examine the new older Peter. Morgan could imagine it would be a surprise to see the kid you once knew was now a man. "Wow, Pete. You sure grew up."

"Th-thanks, Mr. Stark."

"Call me Tony."

"Okay...Tony."

Morgan almost laughed at the way her father's name rolled off Peter's tongue. She could tell it felt weird for him to call him Tony instead of Mr. Stark.

"Tony?" Morgan heard her mother's worried voice echo down the hallway. Her head whipped in its direction. She could tell her mother was on the verge of tears. Oh no. She probably thought he disappeared for good.

"I'm out here, Pep," her dad called, reassuring his wife that he didn't leave before Morgan could do the same.

The sound of footfalls coming down the hall announced her mother's approach before she appeared, appearing to be quite frazzled. Her blue eyes shown with tears. "Oh, thank God. You are here, Tony. I thought you disappeared. I thought..." Her mother stopped rambling when she noticed the unexpected visitor in the room. She took a deep breath in order to compose herself before continuing. "Oh, hey Peter. Morgan called you, didn't she?" When Peter gave her a sheepish look and shrugged, she focused her attention back on Morgan. "You didn't think to run it by your father or I first?"

"I couldn't help it, mom. Peter deserves to know."

Her mother sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the kitchen while her father and Peter conversed quietly in the living room. "I agree but so does Happy and Rhodey and a few others that your father and I were just discussing a few minutes ago. We are not going to tell anyone else until we figure all of this out. Got it?"

Once again, her mother was right. She went and jumped the gun but she wasn't about to apologize for it, not when she saw how happy Peter was to see her father and vice versa. "Got it. My lips are zipped. So, you still mad about me crashing your date?"

Her mother smiled and gave her a hug. "I'll let it slide just this once."


End file.
